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Friday, May 20, 2005

"In Burton Brothers Eric Trusts"

Whenever Eric Miller needs a voice of support for one of Advance America's legislative agenda items, he can count on the Burton brothers. Of course, I'm speaking of State Representative Woody Burton and his older brother, Congressman Dan Burton. They are Miller and Advance America's biggest mouth pieces when it comes to any "pro-family" or "pro-church" measure these voices of moral righteousness assure us we can't live without. To show their appreciation to the Burton brothers, the Advance America website features both of them in videos you can view for free when you pay a visit to the site. The Burton brothers have much in common with Miller--hypocrisy being at the top of the list.

Representative Woody Burton was the leading champion several years ago of Advance America's Defense of Marriage Act for Indiana. The measure, which was enacted in 1997, prohibits same sex marriages in Indiana or the recognition of same sex marriages entered into in other states. While being interviewed about the legislation by Adam Shapiro, a former reporter for WXIN Fox news in Indianapolis, a homophobic Burton equated homosexuality to beastiality. Mr. Shapiro, an openly gay man, was not amused.

The Woody video on Miller's website touts one of Advance America's latest legislative causes, the establishment of a special license plate with the phrase "In God We Trust." Woody laments in the video interview conducted by Miller that his bill didn't have a chance for the past three years, but now that the Republicans are in control, his bill got a hearing, passed out of committee and passed the House with only three dissenting votes. Woody names all three dissenting Democrats for good measure. The Republican-controlled Senate didn't seem to think Woody's bill was so important. The bill died in the Senate without a hearing. Woody is not deterred however. With the assistance of Miller and the supposedly non-partisan Advance America, Woody is now circulating petitions to submit to the BMV qualifying "In God We Trust" as a special license plate. To help their cause Indianapolis Star reporter Debbye Butler recently wrote a sympathetic piece noting the support Miller and his purported non-profit organization are giving to the cause. According to Butler's article "Miller [planned to] send an e-mail to thousands of invididuals and churches across the state, describing the license plate and giving them access to petitions they can download from his Web site." Our tax-subsidized dollars hard at work and being well spent. Butler's article even directed readers to Advance America's web site address to download a petition to circulate for the cause. The article quotes Miller as saying, "Representative Burton got the bill through the House, and it should have been heard at the Senate, where it would have passed overwhelmingly." Miller added, "Unfortunately, since it didn't get past committee to a vote, the next-best opportunity to have this plate is to get the signatures of individuals who commit to buying one." The article quotes a supporter of the license plate, Edna Prosser of Greenwood, saying "I say to anyone opposed to the plate, 'Please allow me my rights as I allow you yours." For some reason I suspect Edna really didn't mean what she said, and I don't think Woody would want it that way either.

In another video on Advance America's website, Miller turns to Woody's more well-known brother, Congressman Dan Burton for support. In the interview Dan notes that he and Eric go way back to when he was a state legislator, and that Eric is a "remarkable leader." And nobody knows more about "remarkable" than Dan. Dan told us for years that he was a "pro-family" legislator, and if you didn't believe him just ask Eric. We of course now know what a hypocrite Dan is. Like D.C. Stephenson this voice of moral righteousness also impregnated a State House secretary while supporting Miller's "pro-family" agenda as a state legislator. Dan, who once called President Clinton a "scumbag" because of his extra-marital affair with Monica Lewinsky, admitted in 1998 to the extra-marital affair which produced a child. In Burton's words, "There was a relationship many years ago from which a child was produced. I am the father. With my wife's knowledge, I have fulfilled my responsibilities as the father. In an effort to protect the privacy of those involved, it was decided years ago among all parties that this matter would remain private." The 15-year old illegitimate son had not received a single visit from his father at the time of his admission. So much for his assertion that he had fulfilled his responsibilities as a father. His brother Woody said he didn't even know about his newfound nephew until the public admission, which Burton only made on the eve of a Vanity Fair article exposing this defender of "family values" as the hypocrite he is.

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